As I sit down to write my October 2024 roundup, I’m sad that my favourite month of the year is over. But what a month it was! October treated us to the most spectacular display of fall colour I’ve ever seen.

In addition to my goals update, my October 2024 roundup has insightful posts on retirement learnings, asking the right questions, and keeping the magic in everyday life.

Happy reading!

Cool things I read in October

Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create inspiring and informative content.

Here are 3 posts that inspired me last month.

What I’ve Learned Writing 400 Articles About Retirement – Retirement Manifesto

Fritz regularly shares his wisdom about retirement, but this post sums up his learnings from 400 blog posts written over nine years. It’s well worth the read.

What’s been more surprising to me is the complexity behind the non-financial aspects of retirement.  Working through your experiments to determine how to replace all those non-financial aspects you once received from work (Sense of Identity, Purpose, Structure, Relationships).

Retirement Manifesto – What I’ve Learned Writing 400 Articles About Retirement

Why the Right Questions Matter More Than the Right Answers – Cristiana for Wise & Shine

In a world where we rush to find the right answers to our questions, Cristiana’s post urges us to slow down and focus on asking the right questions.

Asking the right questions leads to introspection, personal growth, and sometimes uncomfortable truths. But that discomfort is part of the process. It’s in asking the difficult, thoughtful questions that we find not only solutions but also self-awareness and direction.

Cristiana for Wise & Shine – Why the Right Questions Matter More Than the Right Answers

How to Keep the Magic in Everyday Life – Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff

This brilliant post is a reflection on how we’ve lost sight of the value of slowing down and taking notice of the things that really matter. It’s an important reminder as the silly holiday season approaches.

When we waste what is valuable and irreplaceable so we can have fast fashion, fast cars, and cheap consumer goods, I think we’re just dumb.

Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff – How to Keep the Magic in Everyday Life

What I wrote in October

In case you missed any of them, here are the new posts I published in October here on Boomer Eco Crusader.

• The Sunday Spark – Optimistic October is here
• Teaching kids about climate change is a shared responsibility – A Climate Change Collective post
• The Sunday Spark – Activate 3 levels of gratitude this Thanksgiving
• Clutter Tales – An ode to my beloved mix tape collection
• The Sunday Spark – Feeling stressed about sleep
• How you can make a difference this Circular Economy Month
• The Sunday Spark – In search of mindful mornings
• Seniors for Climate – Because we need to act now

And here are the posts I wrote in October for Wise & Shine.

• Approaching each day with optimism
• Highlights of my first year on Wise & Shine
• Five surprising facts about your brain health
• The keys to forming healthy habits

Plus, as I revisit my 52-Weeks of Decluttering Challenge, I refreshed and republished these posts.

• Week 35 – Email cleanup
• Week 36 – Apps and software
• Week 37 – Digital files
• Week 38 – Photos

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Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

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October goals update

After getting back on track in September following a bit of a lazy summer, my goal for October was to keep the momentum going. Let’s look at how things went.

Fitness

In October, I increased my goal to 200 minutes of exercise each week, including 3 balance and flexibility sessions and 2 strength training sessions each week. I don’t count my daily walks toward the 200 minutes.

I’m happy to report I met all three goals, averaging 202 minutes of weekly exercise, 3.4 weekly balance and flexibility sessions, and 2.4 weekly strength training sessions.

Reading

Since I was taking a course in September, I reduced my reading goal to 3 books. I fell just short of my goal. Here’s what I read this month:

• The Husbands by Chandler Baker
• The Game of Joy by Yasmin Nguyen

Decluttering

October was a terrific month on the decluttering front. I exceeded my goal of decluttering 500 digital items. In total, I decluttered 579 digital items and 83 physical items.

Lifelong learning

My October learning goal was to complete the final required course in the Plain Language Certificate. As of the end of October, the coursework was done, and I’ve registered to do my final project course starting in January.

Second Life

The last goal was a big one and it took a lot of my time and effort in October. I’m excited to announce that my retirement coaching site went live on October 30. Check it out at https://secondlifevision.com.

My November goals

I’m proud of how things went in October so I’m setting some ambitious goals again for November. Here we go…

• Fitness goals: My November goal is to keep the same weekly workout routine going, with 200 minutes of exercise each week, including 3 balance and flexibility sessions and 2 strength training sessions.
• Wellness goals:
  • To improve my sleep in these dark days of November, I’m planning to go for a short walk every morning before 10 a.m.
  • As I shared in a recent edition of The Sunday Spark, I’m also looking to slow down and make my morning routine more mindful.
  • For the last couple of months, I’ve been tracking my eating habits on the Nutrition GPA app. My lifetime average is a C, but I know I can do better. With that in mind, I’ve set a goal to average a B score in November.
• Reading: With my course complete, I’m hoping to get back to 4 books in November.
• Writing: I’ve been asked to write an article about age-friendly workplaces for a benefits industry publication, so my goal is to get a first draft written this month.

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Thanks for dropping by to check out my October 2024 roundup. How is your fall going? Drop me a comment below to let me know.